Leading international law firm SJ Berwin has appointed international arbitration specialist Paul Stothard as a partner in the Litigation practice in London. He joins from Dentons, where he was a partner in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution group.
Paul was head of Dentons' Dispute Resolution practice in the Middle East between 2008 and 2012 and before that was an associate with both Denton Wilde Sapte and Allen & Overy. He has particular experience of advising in relation to international disputes involving construction, financial institutions, energy, international trade, retail, hospitality, sports and media. He advises on both commercial and investment disputes and has acted for both investors and states. In addition to his experience in international arbitration, Paul also has wide-ranging experience in international fraud litigation and has led internal investigations into corruption and fraud.
Paul has litigated complex, high value and well publicised disputes in various jurisdictions before a diverse range of courts and tribunals in Europe and the Middle East. Paul has been appointed as an arbitrator on numerous occasions to date and has appeared as an advocate in many cases, including before the English High Court and the Dubai International Financial Centre. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and of the ICC’s National Committee for the United Arab Emirates and its International Arbitration Task Force. He is rated in Chambers and the Legal 500.
Stephen Kon, Senior Partner at SJ Berwin, said: “Continuing to grow the contentious side of our business remains a key focus for SJ Berwin, with arbitration at the heart of that strategy. We already have one of the leading arbitration teams and one of the leading international arbitrators in Tim Taylor QC, based predominantly in Dubai. We are delighted to be able to add to that in London with Paul’s appointment.”
Craig Pollack, head of SJ Berwin's Litigation practice in London, said: “With London’s growing importance as a centre for international arbitration and the growth of treaty arbitration, we believe Paul’s appointment will be of great value to our clients. He brings with him a wealth of experience of dispute resolution, both in London and the Middle East and Africa, and we look forward to drawing on this experience to further strengthen our client offering.”
Paul Stothard said: "SJ Berwin will be an ideal home for me and for my practice. The firm has strong ambitions for the growth of its international arbitration practice and I want to play a key role in achieving that goal. This is an exciting time for the firm. I am pleased and excited to be a part of it."
SJ Berwin and leading Asia Pacific firm King & Wood Mallesons have announced that they are entering into a ground-breaking combination to create a genuine new choice among the traditional global elite legal brands. SJ Berwin will join the King & Wood Mallesons network on 1 November 2013. From this date, the King & Wood Mallesons network will become one of the top 25 law firms in the world, with more than 2,700 lawyers, including more than 550 partners in 30 locations across the world, including China, Hong Kong, Australia, the United Kingdom, continental Europe, the Middle East, Japan and the US.
Dispute Resolution will continue to be at the heart of the firm, with a dedicated global team of more than 30 partners specialising in international arbitration.
